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THE GOLD COAST IN CENTRAL VIETNAM
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this province. Although Phu Yen is right
next to a hugely popular tourism des-
tination - Nha Trang - tourism in the
province remains underdeveloped.
Bai Tram was full, so we pressed
on. We passed through different beauty
spots such as O Loan Lagoon, Xuan Dai
Bay and Da Dia Cliffs. We found long,
deserted beaches and were told that
some investors from Dubai and Brunei
had grandiose plans to develop mam-
moth resorts with casinos in the prov-
ince, but the economic crisis means
that for now these plans are shelved.
We arrived in Tuy Hoa City, the
capital of Phu Yen late in the afternoon.
The beach is near the city center and a
fine place to paddle or just laze and en-
joy the sea breeze and views. We feast-
ed on seafood and sipped cold beer at a
small restaurant while chatting to some
of the hospitable and humorous charac-
ters who work there.
The only exploration to be done
in Tuy Hoa is hiking over Nui Nhan,
or Swallow Mountain, where there are
Cham tower ruins. Built in the 14th cen-
tury, a 20m high tower is lit up at night,
making it a landmark of the town. From
there, we enjoyed a sweeping view of
the city below and the sea beyond.
The next morning, we drove to
Vung Ro Bay, which has been accred-
ited as a national historical relic for its
role during the American war. After
half an hour drive from Tuy Hoa, we
reached Ca Pass, which divides Phu Yen
in the south and Tuy Hoa in the north.
At the foot of the pass is Vung Ro
Bay where there is a small port. The
ocean view is breathtaking as many
houses float on the blue sea and we
stopped to take plenty of photos. We
were told by locals that this is one of
the biggest seafood areas in Phu Yen.
In the past, the bay was not as quiet
as it is now. Vung Ro was in fact one of
the key sea ports on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
via which ships transported arms from
the northern town of Do Son. Between
November 1964 and February 1965,
Vung Ro received four ships. However,
the forth ship was discovered by the
Americans on the morning of February
15 1965 and in order to keep the trail
safe and secret, it was destroyed.
Today, there is a monument and
a lot of old photos in a small house
near Vung Ro port depicting the area
during the war, including the ships
carrying arms.
Leaving the monument, we drove
on a road between the mountains and
the sea. The landscape is really impres-
sive, with few houses but a wealth of
fish and shrimp-breeding houses on
the sea. At nearly midday we arrived
at Bai Mon–Mui Dien where a wonder-
ful, deserted beach is protected by two
capes. Locals have it that at the end
of the 19th century, a French solider
by the name of Captain Varella discov-
ered this cape and judged it to have
great strategic potential. In the days of
Tonkin, French people called this place
Cape Varella.
In 1890, the French built a light-
house here to direct boats and ships
coming in and out of Vung Ro bay.
The lighthouse was battered over the
years, but in 1995 it was restored and
is once again operating. This is one of
the eight light-houses in Vietnam that
is more than 100 years old. From the
beach it’s a 30-minute walk to the top
of the light-house. Once you get there,
you are at the most easterly point of
mainland Vietnam.
We continued our drive back to
Tuy Hoa on the coastal road past many
small, beautiful beaches. At midday, we
stopped at a small village nestled be-
tween the two capes and looking over
a long, white sandy beach. My friend
could not resist the clear blue sea and
plunged into the water immediately af-
ter we alighted the bus. However, the
locals told us that this stretch of beach
will soon disappear as there will be a
The new terminal is expected to raise
the bar for Phu Yen’s tourism